Joint AE Trainer

Master Sgt. Reggie Godbolt (left), a loadmaster with the 317th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C., helps Maj. Michelle Rowe, flight nurse with the 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Westover ARB, Mass., secure a simulated patient on a joint C-17 training mission. (Air Force photo/Capt. Wayne Capps)

Joint training prepares aircrews for wartime mission

Published Nov. 16, 2009
By Capt. Wayne Capps
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- As fighting rages on in Afghanistan and Iraq, the demands placed on Air Force Reserve aircrews increase to an all-time high as they spend more time away from families and civilian careers. One factor, however, stays constant - the need for training.

A recent joint C-17 training mission involved the 315th Airlift Wing from Charleston AFB and the 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. Both units gained valuable experience for future wartime operations.

The purpose of the training was to give reservists in both units the opportunity to work with each other like they would if they deployed together.

"These types of missions are absolutely critical for us," said Maj. Michelle Rowe, a 439th AES flight nurse. "They are our best way to prepare new flyers to perform their duties."

"We have to be prepared for the long-distance movement of patients, and this kind of training helps us do that," said Lt. Col. Doug Miller, flight commander for operations for the 439th AES. "The C-17 is multifunctional and easily allows the two crews to practice moving patients."

And practice they did. With four instructors and one evaluator loadmaster in tow, the crew ran through numerous medical scenarios on the 3-day mission in order to make sure every crewmember was prepared for these critical wartime missions.

For Capt. Jenny Chen, a new unqualified flight nurse with the 439th AES, the mission proved especially beneficial.

"This was my first flight on a C-17, and it was a good training opportunity for me," she said. "I became more proficient on this flight and by the end, I felt more confident in my abilities on the C-17."

The flight crew also found the mission to be beneficial.

"We ran through emergency procedures and worked with the AE crew on how to deal with them," said Master Sergeant Reggie Godbolt, a loadmaster with Charleston's 317th Airlift Squadron, who was also being evaluated on the mission. "We tried to make it as real as possible."

"These types of training missions are very critical to the point when the balloon goes up, we will be ready," added Sergeant Godbolt. "Practice makes perfect, and real world missions like this are just too important to mess up."